Railroad-signal



(Mmm W. 0. BEGKWITH.

RAILROAD SIGNAL.

Patented May 8,1883.

WITNBSSES www ATTORNEYS.

N4 PETERS. Prmouemgnpmr. wamingtor.. D.C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

WALTER C. BEOKWITH, OF NORWALK, OHIO.

RAILROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,200, dated May 8,'1883.

Application tiled December 5,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Y

Be it known that LWALTER C. BECKWITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norwalk, in the county ofHuron and State oi' Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Railroad- Signal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of railroadsignals in which a vane, gong, or other signal is operated by the action of an approaching engine when at a considerable distance from the signal; and it consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a sideelevation, part in section,

of a portion of railroad and part of an engine, showing my invention Without regarduto proportion of parts; and Fig. 2'is an end elevation of a portion of the same at the signal-post.

A represents a rail of the railroad 5 B, an engine provided with a roller or wheel, G, hung in an arm, c, centrally between the tracks. This arm c may swing on its supporting-pin d by means of the hand-rod D, carrying the rollerv G forward and up, so as to elevate the roller out of service, and it may be so held by means of a pin, E,over which the loop ofthe handle D may be hooked. Two air-cylinders or other air-pumps, F F', are placed in the road-bed between the rails at points from which the ap-' proaching engine is to operate the signal to give warning of its entrance on the signal-section. The pistonforf' of each pump is operated by a double lever, G or G', fulcrumed midway upon a pin, g or g'. These levers are bent at the fulcrum, as shown, in order that when one end is depressed 'the other end rises. These levers G G' are midway between the rails in the path of the roller C. k k' are pipes for conveying air from the cylinders F F' to the air-chest I, mounted on the signal-post. J. This air-chest is a quadrant of a cylinder provided with a piston, i, journaled upon an arbor, fi', to vibrate by the action of air entering the chest through the pipes k k'. Upon the shaft t" a vane, L, is mounted to oscillatetherewith, serving as the signal proper. When the vane is horizontal it presents a mere line to view; but when vertical it exposes its broad side.

In operation the lever G is tilted by the roller U on the engine as it enters the section.

k into the air-chest I, forcing piston over to the right, thus setting the vane L in a vertical position. The same impulse expels air from the right of the chest I through pipe 7a' into cylinder F' and raises its piston j". When the engine passes off the section it tilts lever G', thrusting its piston down and forcing air back into chest I, tilting its piston to the left and dropping the vane, at the same time forcing air back into cylinder F and elevating its pistonf. In their positions of rest pistonfis up and piston j" is down, as shown, each following the movement of the other -by means of air communication, as stated. When an engine comes onto the section from the right it raises piston j" and operates the pistons 'l and fby suction, and sets the vane by tipping its piston to the right by suction, as it was before done by pressure. When the engine leaves the section at the left it raises piston fand restores the otherV pistons to their normal position bysuction. Levers G G', being each twoended, will always have one end raised. The lever c, in which the roller C is hung, is adapted by means of a fixed pin, c, against which it abuts, to stand rigidly against anything upon which roller C approaches going forward; but it is free to swing forward when it'strikes anything in backing. The hand-rod Dis connected to lever c by a chain, to prevent the rod from being driven back by the lever to prevent danger to the engineer. This rod may be drawn by the engineer, as before stated, `to allow roller C to pass over levers G G' without operating the signal. I provide the vane L with corrugated retlecting-surfaces, to reiiect the head-light of the approaching-engine in the night. By means of said corrugations thc reflector will be made luminous at every angle. The edges of the vane may be painted red or any other color desired. A vane may be adapted to be exposed by rising from concealment or by raising the concealing-shield, or a gong may be sounded by the action of the air-piston. I do not confine myselfto the use ot' the particular cylinders or air-chest described,

for I may adopt any other device for communicating motion from the engine to operate the signal by means o f air in pipes, such as pumps, bellows, o.

I am aware that an air-pump and an'air-re- ICO ceiving chamber have before been used to operate railroad-signals-as, for instance, in Patent No. 147,692--and I do not claim the same, broadly, as my invention.

What I claim as my invention isl. The combination, with two air-pumps, one placed at each end ot' a section of railroad to be operated by a passing engine, ot' anairchamber adapted to operateasignal, and pipes connecting said chamber with each of said pumps, whereby an engine passing over the section in either direction will first show the signal and then conceal it and restore the pump rst actuated to its normal position, all by airpressure, as shown and described.'

2. The two air-pumps F F', the two doublearmed levers G G', and the two pipes k k', in combination with the pump l, the signal L.

and an attachment to the engine for operating levers G G', substantially as specified.

3. The roller C, the lever c, supporting it, and the stop-pin e, incombination with handrod D, connected to leverv c bynieans of av and pipes 7c k', for communicating With the 3o three pumps, as specited.

WALTER O. BECKWITH.

Vitnesses:

W. X. STEVENS, GHAs. A. PETTIT. 

